The SAPHIR project, proposed in consortium with Prométhée Earth Intelligence, U-Space and the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory (LAM), under the leadership of Bertin Technologies, has been awarded a share of the Plan France 2030 by the French Prime Minister. Its mission: Earth Observation for the benefit of the environment.
Just over a year ago, as part of the France 2030 investment plan, Bertin Technologies responded to the call for projects “Development and industrialization of satellite constellations and their enabling technologies”, with an innovative proposal called “SAPHIR” (Spatial Advanced PHotonics IR).
Developed with Prométhée Earth Intelligence, the first French nanosatellite constellation operator, U-Space, nanosatellite designer and manufacturer, and the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory (LAM), this project has several objectives: to specify, design, build and qualify a camera capable of providing high-resolution images in the visible near infrared (VNIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR). This camera, specifically designed for integration into smallsats, will be extremely lightweight, and will meet a wide range of Earth observation needs, particularly in environmental fields such as pollution control and natural disaster management.
France 2030, announced by French President Emmanuel Macron in October 2021, is a €54 billion investment plan that includes massive investments in sectors of excellence such as Energy, Space, Aeronautics, Automotive and Ecological Transition. The plan is doubly ambitious. On the one hand, it aims to develop French industrial competitiveness in key sectors, through the emergence of forward-looking technologies such as SAPHIR. Secondly, it aims to position France as a leader in the economy of tomorrow.
Congratulations to the teams from Bertin Technologies, U-Space, Prométhée Earth Intelligence and the LAM for their contribution to the development of innovative, sovereign space capabilities.
